February 22, 2012 - The new Honda Civic 5 door has been rated one of Europe‘s safest cars, according to new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP. In addtion, Euro NCAP have announced that they are extending Honda's Advanced NCAP reward for its Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) technology to include the new Civic.

New Civic Euro NCAP Crash Test

The new Honda Civic has been awarded Euro NCAP's maximum 5-star rating. The rating scheme focuses on the vehicle's overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids. Since the introduction of Euro NCAP‘s new rating scheme (February 2009) all Honda models tested have achieved 5 stars.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, commented "The 9th generation Civic impressed and achieved high scores in all areas of assessment, putting it on a par with its rivals in this competitive market segment. The car scored well in Safety Assist and is also fitted as an option with Honda's Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS)."

Euro NCAP also announced today that they are extending Honda's Advanced NCAP reward for its CMBS technology to include the new Civic. The reward recognises Honda‘s CMBS technology as amongst the best available safety innovations, offering research proven benefits. Euro NCAP Advanced is an initiative developed in response to the rapid development of new safety technologies, for which there is no independent assessment.

Honda has been recognized for its Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS), a radar-based autonomous emergency braking system. CMBS is designed to help prevent collisions with vehicles which are stationary or travelling in the same direction. The system is aimed at alerting the driver to an imminent collision both at low speeds, typical of urban driving, and at higher speeds typical of rural roads and motorways. By studying accident statistics in Germany and extending the figures to the broader European community, Honda estimates that, if all cars were fitted with CMBS, between 200,000 and 250,000 accidents could be either prevented or mitigated every year.

The new Civic's top safety rating and Advanced NCAP reward reflect Honda's commitment to overall vehicle safety. Honda's car-to-car crash test facility at the Tochigi R&D center analyzes impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both passengers and pedestrians. The omni-directional vehicle-to-vehicle crash test facility opened in 2001 and is the world's first indoor facility of its type.

Editors Notes

The new generation Civic is available as a 5 and 4 door model. The Euro NCAP rating applies to the 5 door model.

Safety Features in the Honda Civic

Vehicle Stability Assist

Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) is designed to assist the driver in maintaining control during cornering, acceleration and sudden manoeuvres by applying braking assistance to any of the wheels as necessary and modulating the engine torque output as required.

Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure

Developed in the car-to-car crash testing facility at Tochigi, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure is now a well-established strength of Honda’s safety credentials.

The ACE™ body structure is a Honda exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. The ACE Body Structure design utilises a network of connected structural elements to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle. This enhanced frontal crash energy management helps to reduce the forces transferred to the passenger compartment and can help to more evenly disperse the forces transferred to other vehicles in a crash.

Pedestrian Protection

The new Civic also incorporates many features designed with pedestrian-protection in mind. Research has shown that these features can dramatically improve a pedestrian's chance of survival if struck by a moving vehicle. Features include windscreen wiper pivots designed to break away on impact, energy absorbing front wing mounts and bonnet hinges, as well as an unobstructed area beneath the bonnet allowing greater space for deformation.

Airbags and Seatbelts

On all models the driver and passenger Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) front and side airbags are complemented by full length curtain airbags to protect all occupants. There are three-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) seatbelts in all seating positions, the front seatbelts also have 2 stage Energy Absorption (EA) load limiting pretensioners. In the rear ISOFIX points ensure secure and correct installation and mounting of child seats.

About Honda’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)

What is CMBS?

Honda’s Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) is a radar-based autonomous emergency braking system. At speeds above 15km/h, moving and stationary vehicles are detected along a path some 100m ahead of the vehicle. When the system senses that the car is likely to hit one of these obstacles, a three stage process is initiated. In the first, typically around 3 seconds before impact, the driver is alerted by visual and audible warnings. In the second stage, when the system senses that a collision is still likely (typically some 2 seconds before impact), three sharp tugs are given on the seat belt and the car automatically starts to apply some braking. Finally, when a collision is unavoidable, CMBS tightens the front seat occupants’ seatbelts (using reversible tensioners different from the pyrotechnic devices used during the collision itself) and applies a high level of braking force. This braking can be supplemented by the driver up to the maximum that the car is capable of.

All of the actions taken by CMBS are reversible: if an accident is averted (for example if the vehicle moves out of the way at the last moment, for example), the tension is removed from the seatbelts and the visual and audible warnings stop.

What is the safety benefit?

CMBS is a system designed to help prevent collisions with vehicles which are stationary or travelling in the same direction. Several studies have shown that driver distraction or inattentiveness is a factor in the great majority of accidents. The system is aimed at alerting the driver to an imminent collision both at low speeds, typical of urban driving, and at higher speeds typical of rural roads and motorways. In such accidents, the most common sorts of injuries are to the cervical spine, the soft tissue of the thorax and to the knees. By studying accident statistics in Germany and extending the figures to the broader European community, Honda estimates that, if all cars were fitted with CMBS, between 200,000 and 250,000 accidents could be either prevented or mitigated every year.

How was CMBS assessed?

Two main types of track tests were done by Honda to establish the effectiveness of CMBS, both of them simulations of typical real world situations. To establish proper functionality of the system, a test driver drove towards targets, both moving and stationary, to determine whether or not the system reacted as intended: audible and visual warnings issued at the times needed, tightening of the seatbelt, followed by emergency braking. To determine the driver response to these warnings, volunteers were deliberately distracted while following a dummy vehicle which suddenly braked. The volunteers were not aware that this dummy vehicle could be safely pulled out of harm’s way before a collision occurred. Volunteers could be used only once each in order to ensure that they did not anticipate the critical situation. By combining the results of the functionality and efficacy tests, Honda was able to ensure and estimate the effectiveness of the system in real-life situations.

Availability

For new Honda Civic, Honda CR-V and Honda Accord, the system is available for high graded vehicles as option only. The availability of optional equipment may vary from country to country. In some countries, CMBS may be available only when combined with other options as part of a package, and may not be offered on all variants. Customers should check with their local Honda dealer to determine if CMBS is available.

About the new Civic

The new Civic five-door hatchback was developed specifically for the European market. The car builds on the core strengths of its predecessor taking them to an appreciably higher level. The Civic has ultra low CO2 emissions – the diesel model produces just 110g/km with 150 HP and 350 Nm of torque.

The new Civic is available with three engine options: a 1.4 liter and 1.8 liter petrol and a 2.2 liter diesel. All engines are combined with a 6-speed manual gearbox, ECO Assist and Idle Stop. They are also equipped with Hill Start Assist. The 1.8 liter engine is also available with a specially designed 5-speed automatic transmission.

The very highest safety standards are a basic requirement for all Honda cars and the new Civic is no exception.

About Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.

Established in 1997 and now backed by seven European Governments, the European Commission and motoring and consumer organizations in every EU country, Euro NCAP has rapidly become a catalyst for encouraging significant safety improvements to new car design.

Euro NCAP’s star rating scheme focuses on the vehicle’s overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids.

The current rating scheme, introduced in February 2009, uses a weighted score, combining many aspects of a car’s safety performance: adult (50%), child (20%) and pedestrian (20%) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices (10%). To qualify for inclusion, safety assistance devices (VSA for Honda) must be fitted as standard across 90% of the EU 27 2010 model range.